When it comes down to it, Dale Earnhardt Jr is in many ways still the torchbearer of NASCAR. He knows all the good stories, too. He has the family history, the personal success and record, the support of fans, former and current drivers, and the sport at large. One of the best things is when he fills us in on a story from back in the day.
Now, this wasn’t a Dale Jr. or Sr. story. It was back in the early part of the modern era. The 1970s. Anytime you talk about NASCAR in the 70s, you know you’re talking about some of the golden years of the sport. The racing that connected the humble beginnings of the sport with the modern marvel of sports and entertainment.
Check out Earnhardt’s tweet below and see the story for yourself.
Now, a dude like Donnie Allison doesn’t mess around. The International Motorsports Hall of Fame member raced for more than 20 years. He had a whole heck of a lot of races under his belt and was able to take 10 wins throughout his career. That includes wins at Daytona and Talladega, as well as the 600 win at Charlotte in 1970.
That win that Earnhardt Jr. mentions would be the National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Although Buddy Baker led for 104 laps that day, and David Pearson won the pole position, Allison came away with the checkered flag. He apparently wasn’t willing to give it up, either. He slipped past Cale Yarborough in front of almost 75,000 fans.
Here’s a snippet about AJ Foyt, who is up for a possible Hall of Fame induction. He is one of the nominees on the Pioneer Ballot.
Despite Foyt’s objections, Allison won the race with Foyt’s own backup car.
Dale Earnhardt. Jr Headed to the FOX NASCAR Booth
Despite being signed with NBCUniversal, Dale Earnhardt. Jr will call the next NASCAR race on FOX. As the Cup Series and the other national series head to Talladega to battle it out on the Superspeedway. He is likely the most well-liked driver to ever race in the Cup Series and that charisma and popularity only carries over into the booth.
Dale Jr. is to NASCAR what Tony Romo is to the NFL as far as announcing goes. His insights and knowledge along with his close proximity to the active drivers still doing it down on the track make him incomparable. The best analysts will always be the guys that did it themselves, and for someone that did it at such a high level, fans love to hear what he has to say.
If only he was in the booth when Chase Briscoe darted for the win last night at Bristol. It led to him and the leader Tyler Reddick spinning out and losing the lead to Kyle Busch who was in a very opportunistic third place.
